A Nameless Witch

Fun, entertaining and quick read, but not without its problems. Witty banter and character interactions are the book's strong points, while the fairly basic plot fails to innovate or impress. It also has the unfortunate negative effects of being written in first person. Despite the shortcomings, the book delivers an enjoyable read which leaves you wishing there had been a couple of hundred more pages to flesh out the characters further before the third act kicks in.

A very generous 2,0 stars (I didn't NOT like it per se; the 2 star rating here sounds a bit harsh but the 3 star rating is too effusive) An accursed nameless Witch with the figure of, well, Cannibal Barbie (also the appetite)! A demon familiar trapped in the body of a duck with the temper of the original Howard the Duck comics. An intelligent troll able to tell wise tales and provide wholesome messages! A White Knight that in my mind looked like a young Idris Elba riding a grand white steed! And more! All together on a Grand Quest to save the world from the clutches of an overly narcissistic Master Wizard. And... it was just as dull as you could expect. Seriously, I simply have never liked QUESTING books and this book - sadly the only one of A.Lee Martinez's books so far that have done nothing other than tickle my funny bone to bits - did not change my opinion in the slightest. Equally sadly is that the characters presented were no where near as interesting as in 'Gil's Diner' (yeah yeah, I know) nor 'In the Co. of Ogres'. The 'curse' of the tantalizing witch only works in a kind of one-off, the punchline will be far too obvious kind of way and the ending is no where near as exciting as the previous books mentioned. Still, I refuse to give up on my quest (aargh, now I'm doing it) to read ALM's complete collection. Like the song says '2 out of 3 ain't bad' so on we go...

Great story! I wasn't sure what to expect after having read Gils Allfright diner, but this story was even better. A very different tone but quite a gripping story.